I understand what Chris Godwin is and that the Steelers "like" him. However, I don't think he replaces what Bryant does in any way. He's a big upgrade to Cobi Hamilton and Demarcus Ayers, but he's not going to threaten deep on the outside, nor clean up on the inside. I guess a smart OC would play AB more in the slot, and have Godwin on the outside-- but that won't happen here.

I don't think he replaces what Bryant does either and that is the point.

This offense and the WRs have gone in two extremes. We go for big, fast athletic freaks likes Bryant and Coates and then go for smurfs and bring in Rogers and Ayers. But there is a happy medium, there are more types of WRs that can diversify your offense.

For example, you look at the success that Cobi Hamilton had last year on 3rd downs. It seemed like Ben would find him on a 3rd and 15 and get the first down. Hamilton does not have the elite speed that Bryant has, or the run after the catch of somebody like Brown, but he does know how to use his bigger body and he does know how to fight for the football, to shield the ball away from the defender.

You look at how Ben connected with Jericho Cotchery his last season here in the red zone. 10 TDs. Cotchery was not a smurf, he was not going to dazzle you with his open field moves, he was not going to outrun you with his blazing speed. No, but he was going to kill you by knowing how to use all of his 6'1 210 pound frame to box out the defender, to shield the football away from the defender, to win those battles. For all of Bryant and Coates size and speed, it is amazing how they still don't maximize their bigger bodies, how they still get bullied down the field in contested catches.

So, some may look at Godwin and yawn, but I get excited because I see a missing piece. I see somebody that Ben would have great success throwing to short, intermediate and long. It is damn hard throwing to all of these smurfs with average catch radius, and bigger athletic freaks that don't fight for the football like they should. I see Godwin and think, wow, a stronger, faster, more explosive Cotchery.

This offense needs somebody like that. We need a Godwin, or JuJu.

_________________TJ Watt, the next Brian Urlacher for the new Pittsburgh Steeler 4-3 defense for 2018?

Godwin is a possession receiver in the NFL. I'm not sure you draft that guy at pick 62. There aren't a lot of deep threats in this WR class, but at least Carlos Henderson or Golloday have a little more dynamism than Godwin.

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Suwanee88 wrote:

But it’s your fault that you are kind of a stubborn jagoff that would argue with a fence post

Well, I have never looked down upon possession WRs. All good/great offenses have need of them, I think they are crucial to be quite frank.

In our offense, are you telling me that having say, a young Anquan Boldin would be a bad thing? I look at our offenses over the years and it amazes me that Ben has to work so damn hard because the WRs really don't get that much separation, and then you compound that with them being typically shorter, 5'10" 185 pound body types with a smaller catch radius. Sure, we have had some big WRs, some athletic freaks occasionally too, but they really struggle in the short game and don't seem to come up big in the redzone or making tough combative catches. Mike Wallace, yeah, super fast 4.3 speed but I saw him fail on a lot of contested catches in his time at Pittsburgh because he would never leave his feet. Dude had a 40 inch vertical but never used it to come down with contested catches that he should have easily.

There is something to be said for a bigger WR that knows how to be physical and use his length and reach. I just don't see that with Coates and Bryant still gets by on speed and quickness. Like I said in my earlier post, Cotchery was the last physical WR that we had who knew how to play to his size and length and Ben threw 10 TDs to him in that last season. Before Cotch it was Hines Ward, as that physical chain mover. I don't care what anybody says, we are missing that type of WR from this offense. As dynamic as Rogers or Ayers may be (and that is dubious), when it comes time for them to fight for that extra 5 yards to get the first down and they have to fight off the would be tackle of a 220 pound safety or a 250 pound LBer, they end up failing. Hell, often times it is hard enough for Ben to just squeeze the ball into their small catch radius. Throwing to a larger WR with an extended reach is much easier and there is more room for error, and the fact that they may have 25-30 pounds more weight over a Rogers or Ayers helps them break tackles, helps them power through to the first down.

It is all about diversity. It is okay to throw to the FB and use him in the redzone like Kansas City did to us in the playoffs. That was FB Sherman that Alex Smith threw the ball to. It is okay to have a scatback, a 3rd down back and use him in the offense. It is great to have a Ladarius Green TE in the offense, but there is also the need to have a combo TE like Jesse James. Brown and Bryant, great WRs to have as your starters, and Rogers maybe he will develop into a very good slot WR, but wouldn't this offense be even more dangerous to have a physical possession WR, an Anquan Boldin type to get easy completions and convert first downs?

_________________TJ Watt, the next Brian Urlacher for the new Pittsburgh Steeler 4-3 defense for 2018?